Box Score (pdf)
Box Score (html)
Photo Gallery
ESPN3 Highlights
Post-Game Press Conference
 
DETROIT (2/5/2015) -- Freshman Darianne Seward netted a career-high 28 points, but it wasn't enough as the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team was upended by the Valparaiso Crusaders, 74-68, on Thursday night at Calihan Hall.
 
Seward also added six rebounds and two steals. Redshirt sophomore Rosanna Reynolds posted 17 points, a game and season-high eight assists and six rebounds and senior Ellisha Crosby tallied 11 points with seven boards, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
 
Detroit (8-13, 3-5 HL) trailed by five, 51-46, midway through the second half, but fought back to eventually knot it at 53-53 with 7:39 left. The Titans took a brief lead at 56-55 as Seward nailed her fifth trey of the game with 5:45 remaining, but Valparaiso (5-16, 1-7 HL) answered with a three of its own.
 
The game would later be tied for the eighth time at 60-60 at the 4:36 mark, but the Crusaders regained the momentum with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes.
 
Seward twice made it a five-point game and she then registered the old fashioned three-point play with a layup and a free throw to get the red, white and blue within four, 69-65, with just under a minute left, but Valpo hung on for the win.
 
Sophomore Haleigh Ristovski ended with eight points, eight rebounds and tied her career high with five steals, while freshman Nicole Urbanick had four points and two boards.
 
UDM forced 17 turnovers and tied a season high with 11 steals. The Titans also knocked in 10, 3-pointers, but Valparaiso countered shooting 51.0 percent from the field with eight trifectas.
 
The game was tied three times early on, but a 7-0 run by the Titans put the red, white and blue out in front, 14-7. Ristovski started the spurt with a trey and that was followed by baskets from Crosby and Reynolds.
 
Valparaiso came right back with a 14-2 charge over three minutes to take a 21-16 lead with 8:12 left in the half.  The Crusaders would extend their advantage to as many as 10, 33-23, with 2:48 remaining when the Titans – specifically Seward - caught fire hitting 4-of-5 shots down the stretch.
 
Seward nailed 3-pointers on three-straight possessions and then added the last bucket in the half with 30 seconds left, cutting the deficit to 37-34 at the break.
 
Detroit ended up shooting 41.2 percent (14-of-34) in the first half with six triples. Valparaiso was 16-of-30 (53.3%) with four 3 pointers, but turned it over nine times.
 
UDM will have another weekend off as they next play at UIC on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. (EST) at the UIC Pavilion.
 
Game Notes:
Detroit still leads the all-time series 12-9… Seward had just three 3-pointers coming into the game, but had three in the first half alone… Seward has scored in double digits in 15 games on the season… Seward's previous career high was 19, done in the season opener at Michigan and against Western Michigan… Detroit tied its season high with 11 steals against Oakland two weeks ago… It was the sixth time this season that the Titans had 10 or more 3-pointers in a game… Reynolds career high in assists is nine as a freshman against Cleveland State… She now has 15 assists in the last two games… Ristovski matched her career high with five steals at Michigan in the season opener…